Jim Meyer, SiriusXM's President of Operations and Sales, has emerged as a leading internal contender to replace Mel Karmazin as CEO of the satcaster, reports Reuters, citing "sources with knowledge of the situation." Meyer joined SiriusXM in 2004, the same year as Karmazin. He oversees the company's auto industry relationships, which account for the bulk of its revenue. "At a company as complex as Sirius, with the satellites, media and automotive parts, gluing it all together is Jim," said a source who used to work at the company. "He is the No. 2 and worked with him [Karmazin] closely." A committee led by Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei is conducting a search to find Karmazin's successor and is examining both external and internal candidates. Maffei said on Liberty's November 6 earnings call that the CEO search could take up to six months. Liberty, the satellite radio company's largest shareholder, is preparing to take over control of SiriusXM. Karmazin, who was hired as CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio in 2004 (when XM was still a competitor), and orchestrated the merger of the two satcasters in 2008, will step down from his role in February. His decision came as Liberty moved closer to control of SiriusXM. The Reuters report notes there are a number of other candidates Liberty is considering for Karmazin's replacement, including current SiriusXM CFO David Frear.
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